Quinoa Salad

I have been asking my friend Lourdes to give me a traditional recipe from Bolivia to post on my blog.  I've never seen a Bolivian restaurant or cookbook and am very curious about the cuisine of that country. Lourdes came to my rescue last week with a recipe for this lovely dish and two boxes of Quinoa.  I made Quinoa Salad for a July 4th lunch and it was a hit. Usually quinoa needs to be washed before cooking to remove a protective coating.  But Lourdes gave me Ancient Quinoa Harvest Brand which is prewashed and ready to cook. Pronounced Keen-Wa, this grain was a staple food of the Incas and is protein rich and loaded with iron, potassium and other minerals. 

1 cup quinoa

2 red tomatoes (medium size)

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (parsley can be substituted)

fresh juice of 1 1/2 limes

Serves 4

Cook the quinoa as the package directs (cooks in 15 minutes)

Chop all vegetables in small squares. Mix all of them with the cooked quinoa.  Add the cilantro and lime juice and toss.

NOTES: Lourdes suggests serving the salad with grilled fish or chicken. I took her advice and served it with grilled salmon.

The salad is light and fresh tasting.  Notice that it contains no oil. The cilantro and lime juice give it a very special flavor.